Strong quake hits Solomon Islands

A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 hit the Solomon Islands on Sunday and could potentially generate local Tsunami waves but a Pacific-wide Tsunami was not expected, seismologists said.

The undersea earthquake struck just after midday local time (0100 GMT) at a depth of 35 kilometres (22 miles), the US Geological Survey said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii said in a statement that a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami was not expected.

But it said there was an increased potential for tsunami waves near the epicentre in the Solomon Islands' eastern Santa Cruz islands.

"Further seismic analysis indicates that this earthquake may be the kind of earthquake that ruptures more slowly and has an increased potential to generate tsunami waves that could be damaging near the epicenter," it said in a statement.

An 8.0 magnitude earthquake in the western Solomons in April triggered a tsunami that killed more than 50 people and displaced thousands.